The Key to Authenticity Revealed

I am going to share with you an article from the Campden Report on 02/21/12

“There’s something wrongheaded about both Nietzsche and his disciples, and it’s that they are, in the jargon of mid-20th century existentialism, “inauthentic”. To be authentic is to be true to your principles, rather than to the dictates of society. True, it’s hard to tell what parts of you are truly you, if any are, and which are created by society. But there’s an intuitively attractive idea here. In her book The Need for Roots the French thinker Simone Weil said that to live authentic, fulfilled lives we need to be connected to a community, and have a sense of continuity, feeling that you are part of something that existed before you, and exists despite you.

I was reminded of this when I was recently talking to a next-gen from a large Italian engineering firm in her mid-20s, who told me that she knew from the age of 12 that she would do an MBA and go into the family business. She felt a tremendous duty, but I imagine she also felt deep roots and a sense of continuity. I feel that she has more chance of living an authentic, fulfilling life than most.” From Campden Report 2/21/12

Authenticity stems from the Greek and refers to being genuine, principled, or accomplished. With a family when wealth and its accompanying opportunities, lifestyle, and risks, community can play a valuable role in fostering and developing meaning in one’s life through authenticity. For a family, this sense of authenticity can be found in a personal ownership of the values and mission of the family.